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prkaye

Well Known Member
Just wondering what to expect when my wings are delivered. Being in Canada, I believe my wings will be delivered by FedEx (I hope, they are much better than UPS, at least up here). Will they have a special truck to lower the huge wing crates off the back, and just dump them on my driveway? Or are these crates light enough for two people (i.e. me and the FedEx man) to lift and carry?
 
Phil...expect excitement...increased cardiac output...etc.

You can check Vansaircraft website for details on shipement. It is listed under shipping information...Crate sizes/dimensions. One crate is 195lbs, and the other is 200lbs....Sounds like you may want to fire up the barbee, and invite a couple friends over...:)
 
I found both crates to be movable with 2 people. In fact my dad and I walked both of them up and down a flight of stairs before they were uncrated. As for the FedEX guy helping out...it might help if you are a good tipper.
 
FedEx should call a day or two in advance to schedule delivery. Tell them it is a residence and you DO NOT have a loading dock. In my case the FedEx guy had it all unloaded into my garage, by himself, in a matter of minutes using a pallet dolly.

When they called to schedule, they said to expect them between 1pm and 3pm (of course I RAN to the window at every sound). After I made a phone call at 6pm, he showed up at 6:30pm. He apologized and said that he had to get all his commercial deliveries done before businesses closed. Since I was residential, I got delayed.
 
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Hey Phil

I had mine delivered to the ABF Terminal in Watertown and saved the brokerage fees from Fedex, and I suspect, quite a bit on shipping. I just hooked a utility trailer to the back of the car and drove down and got them.

Actually, thats what did for everything big (tail, wings, fuse, finishing, and engine).

Cheers
 
Order

I put in my wing kit order on Friday, by Fax. It's Tuesday and I haven't yet gotten any confirmation from them. When I order parts online by Vans Web Store I usually get a shipment notification next business day.

Is this normal (it taking a few days to acknowledge my wing order)? I'm generally a paranoid person, and of course now am having fears that my fax fell onto the floor and rolled under the fax machine at Vans ;)
 
Order confirmation

When I placed my order for the RV8 slow build kit, it took about two weeks before I got a snail mail order confirmation. Van's had the ship to address wrong and a simple phone call resolved that issue. Still have three weeks to wait for actual delivery ...
 
Vans does not confirm they received your fax order. I called about a week after I faxed my wing order, and they couldn't find it. Turns out they had it, but was laying on the corner of a desk that doesn't get used. Not to add to your paranoia, but call 'em to find out, I'm glad I did. Who knows how long I would've waited to get my wings...
 
Confirmed!!

Anne at Vans is fantastic at returning emails promptly. My wing kit should ship the week of Dec 11. Woo Hoo!! Fun over the holidays!

I got my emp at the end of August. So that's four months from Emp kit to wing kit. Is this a little on the slow-side (I had to replace parts several times...)? Or did others also take about this long?
 
Slow side? I think not. Unless you compare yourself to the guys who do the tail kit down in Griffin, Georgia at Alexander's. They do it in week! What took YOU so long?? ;) :D

I took 6 months to complete my tail kit, and I'm not done with fiberglass yet.
 
lag time verification?

Guys,
Is 8 weeks to get the slow-build wings about right. I'm trying to time my delivery with my finances. I'm shooting for a January delivery so I should be ordering in the next week or so.
 
Yeps

Mine was 8 weeks on the dot.

Anne and Barb always answer my order questions via email on the same day.
 
Well, I should add that the 4 months doesn't include fiberglass. Can't do that until after I get my sub-assembly pre-cover inspection (rules for inspection in Canada are different).
 
My wing kit was 7 weeks, when 8 was planned. Should be right around there, but be ready for a slightly early date. This was last year at this time though.

I've had nothing but good things to say about Anne and Barb, and it was not their fault that my wing order made it there, but not to the right desk. They straightened things out in no time!
 
As I imentioned in a previous post, I ordered my wing kit last Friday (Oct 20), and they've just said they expect it to ship the week of Dec 11. That's between 7 and 8 weeks.
 
Wing Delivery

I am also building in Ottawa, Canada, and recently received my finish kit.(delivered to my door)
A few things to consider:
1. Look at Van's website for the size/weight of subkits - wing/fuselage and finish kits are big;
2. Van's get a good price on shipping charges (probably much better than you can) - and are cooperative - Van's checked with a few companies for me to get the best price, and will give you a price to your door/to a depot in Ottawa/to a depot in the U.S. - I had my fuselage and wing kits delivered to Watertown - there was a significant price difference among companies, and to different destinations - neither wing, nor fuselage , nor finish kit was Fedex or UPS;
3. I recall a couple of hundred dollars (at least) difference between delivery to Watertown, or across the border to Ottawa. Either way, you have to pay GST and PST, but no duty. For the finish kit, I had it delivered to Ottawa, but avoided brokerage charges by doing that part myself - the shipper delivers to its bonded warehouse, lets you know it is there, and you do the legwork to get a customs clearance, which lets the shipper release it/deliver it to you. Whether delivery to a U.S. destination is worth the hassle/gas/time is your call - be aware that some depots only operate Monday-Friday. I had the wing and fuselage kits delivered to Watertown, and brought them across myself - but, you need a friend, a trailer, and a few hours of your time on a Monday to Friday. I had the finish kit delivered to my door;
4. Ask Van's to mark the shipping documents/invoice "aircraft parts" - they are exempt from duty (but not GST/PST);
5. The shipper will deliver in a truck, probably with a high deck - and (in my (one) experience) the driver will not or will not be permitted by company policy to help unload - for a wing kit, two people can lift it off a truck. For a fuselage/finish kit, 3 would be good;
6. When you order your finish kit (won't be long, I'm sure!) order the firewall forward kit at the same time - there seemed to lots of extra room in the finish kit box. I didn't, and now am looking at another shipment and costs.
Bill Brooks
RV-6A, very slow build, fuselage in progress
 
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